Operations in the decadeslong secret war between Iran and Israel have shifted fundamentally in recent years, moving from being the exclusive work of Mossad field agents to Iranian dissident insiders and others from neighboring countries.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/34330326

by Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv for ProPublica
Aug. 7, 2025, 5 a.m. EDT

[fascinating article]

Reporting Highlights

  • Covert Ops: Commandos that the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, recruited from Iran and neighboring nations destroyed Iranian air defenses in the first hours of a June attack.
  • Intelligence Gathering: Israeli operatives identified the bedrooms in which Iranian nuclear scientists were sleeping, enabling precise airstrikes.
  • Cyber Deception: Israel sent a fake message that summoned senior Iranian military leaders to a phantom meeting in a bunker that was then bombed by Israeli jets.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

  • trxxruraxvr@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 day ago

    I’m kind of surprised they didn’t do this earlier. A lot of people in Iran are not too fond of their government, and it’s not like this is a very novel idea. The US and USSR have been trying to do shit like this to each other all through the cold war.

    • mrdown@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 day ago

      How do you think scientists was killed in iran in 2010? Spies from within is not new

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    1 day ago

    Taking a page from the Russian playbook. It’s a fairly open secret at this point that Putin basically orchestrated the whole thing, as a means to firm up nationalistic support behind him so he could ascend to power. Remember his resume: KGB, and working directly with the Stasi in the former GDR.